Learning and Study Self Assessments

Learning and studying in medical settings can be very challenging. Due to this fact, it is important that your learning and study methods include strategies that ensure long-term retention of concepts and the ability to reason critically and clinically. To help you identify your interests and preferences for learning, we offer the assessments and additional resources below.

For assistance interpreting assessment results and/or to explore strategies that combine recommendations from these assessments with high-impact study strategies, contact the Director of Academic Success, at
CMEDAcademicSuccess@groups.cmich.edu.

Assessments​

​Information and Instructions

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The VARK questionnaire is a free, short (16 question) online survey that provides you with immediate results and links to additional resources. The VARK acronym stands for Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory modalities, and the short survey helps students identify their learning preferences. Access the VARK Questionnaire here.

After you have completed the VARK questionnaire, visit the VARK Academic Helpsheets to learn more about how to incorporate specific learning strategies into your study plans.

Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI)

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The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) is commonly offered to students in medical education and is designed to gather information about learning and study practices and attitudes. Specifically, LASSI focuses on the topics below, which contribute significantly to academic success:

Anxiety

Attitude

Concentration

Information Processing

Motivation

Self-Testing

Selecting Main ideas

Time management

Test Strategies

Using Academic Resources

The inventory can be taken online and takes approximately 15 – 20 minutes. The results from the LASSI are available immediately and provide you with feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. To learn more about the LASSI, visit http://www.hhpublishing.com/_assessments/LASSI/index.html. To see a sample report, click here.

Note: If you score below the 50th percentile on any of the LASSI scales, we encourage you to contact the Director of Academic Success at CMEDAcademicSuccess@groups.cmich.edu to schedule a follow-up meeting (face-to-face or virtual) to discuss your strengths and weaknesses and to identify effective methods to enhance your learning and study strategies.

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Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

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The MBTI assessment is the world's most widely and universally used tool for understanding normal, healthy personality differences among people (Myers, 2015). The MBTI assessment results help to explain basic patterns related to how people take in information and make decisions. It is used by more than two million people each year in a broad range of applications such as self-understanding, academic counseling, team building, leadership training, diversity training, and problem solving. To learn more, click here.

Grit

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Researchers at the Duckworth Lab at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center have found that grit, or the ability to sustain interest and effort toward long-term goals, correlates with lifetime educational attainment. To learn more about grit and self-control, visit https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/learn/grit.

Mindset

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Mindsets are beliefs about yourself (e.g., your intelligence, your talents, your potential, and your personality). Carol Dweck studied mindsets and found that people believe they have either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Individuals who have a fixed mindset believe that their traits are given and can't be changed, while individuals with a growth mindset view their traits as things that can be developed through dedication and effort (Dweck, 2010). To learn more about your current mindset and/or to begin changing your mindset to a growth mindset that enables you to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, learn from criticism, and reach higher levels of achievement, visit http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/natureofchange/index.html.